Buying your own saddle is a crucial step to take when you are a rider. When you decide to take the plunge, it is important to know how to choose a saddle that is adapted to your needs and your horse: not all saddles are suitable for all riders and especially for all horses. There are many brands of saddles, and it is sometimes difficult to find the right one, especially when you want to buy your saddle online. To help you find the saddle of your dreams, here is all the information you need to consider before buying.
Choosing a riding saddle adapted to your riding style
Depending on your preferred discipline, your level, and your type of riding, you will not need the same model of saddle.
The jumping saddle
Jumping saddles are adapted to the position of show jumping riders. Indeed, their short and forward facing flaps will be the ideal support point for your knees when you are balancing. The jumping saddle has a flat or semi-hollow seat to allow for greater freedom of movement (a semi-hollow seat is more comfortable than a flat seat when sitting). While not all these saddles have front cleats, most have front and rear cleats to help keep the legs fixed, especially during jumps. The size of these cleats varies and depends on the model of the saddle.
Some brands will also offer cross country saddle models. In the same style as the jumping saddles, these saddles have much more pronounced cleats and a more advanced quarter to provide maximum comfort, stability, and safety. It is quite common to find cross-country saddles with a single quarter – this avoids feeling the thickness of the girths under the leg and therefore allows you to feel closer to your horse. Of course, there are also single quarter jumping saddles.
The dressage saddles
The dressage rider will look for a saddle with a comfortable seat, which allows him to have his leg as low and straight as possible. It is obviously to meet this need that dressage saddles will have long, straight flaps accompanied by more prominent cleats to best position the legs. Unlike the jumping saddle, the seat of the dressage saddle is hollow and encompassing, allowing for the best possible seating while providing fixity. Due to the length of the girths, the dressage saddle is used with a short girth.
The Mixed Saddle
If you practice both dressage and jumping and you don’t want to or can’t buy a saddle for each discipline, the mixed saddle is a good compromise. As it is impossible to combine the qualities required for a jumping saddle and a dressage saddle in one saddle, you will find mixed saddles with a jumping or dressage focus, which are still versatile. With a semi-hollow and wide seat, the mixed saddle offers the comfort necessary for work on the flat and its slightly forward quarter allows you to better follow your horse during jumps. It is also practical for outdoor riding. However, the mixed saddles will be less adapted to an intensive practice of each discipline.
The trekking saddle
For riders who prefer the outdoors to working in the arena, the trekking saddle is the perfect choice. This saddle is made of a wide, hollow, and comfortable seat. Indeed, it meets the need for comfort for the rider and his horse during rides. Saddlers pay attention to the padding of these saddles to allow the best distribution of the rider’s weight and to offer the best comfort to the horse’s back. The flaps must allow freedom for the rider’s legs and this saddle is equipped with rings to attach saddlebags during long rides.
Some disciplines require more atypical saddles, such as the endurance saddle, the western saddle, or the saddle for working equitation to name a few.
Finding a riding saddle that fits your budget
Buying a saddle rarely happens overnight. It is not a trivial purchase, especially because of its cost. Even if you want to buy the cheapest saddle possible, you should not forget the quality/price ratio of the product. That’s why it is very important to set a budget when preparing to buy a saddle.
The synthetic saddle
When you have a small budget, the ideal is to buy a synthetic saddle or a second-hand leather saddle because, be careful, if you find a new leather saddle cheap, there is often something wrong in terms of quality. A “small” budget requires a minimum of money, which should not be lost sight of.
The synthetic saddle has really improved over the years. On paper, this type of saddle does not always make you dream, but the image of the old uncomfortable and damaged club saddle is no longer relevant. Today you can easily find synthetic saddles that offer real comfort and technicality for a minimum price. If you have any preconceptions, you may be pleasantly surprised by this type of saddle. The choice of synthetic saddles is also quite wide, and you will be able to find the saddle that fits your horse. A good synthetic saddle is more than worth a medium quality leather saddle.
The second-hand saddle
The second-hand saddle allows you to buy a good saddle, even a particularly good saddle, at a lower cost. The price will depend on the age of the saddle, the brand, and its general condition. It is quite easy today to find a second-hand saddle: on the internet (ad sites, Facebook groups etc…), thanks to word of mouth or by a professional who proposes the resale of second-hand saddles. Professional resellers take a commission on the saddle or will charge for advice, so this requires you to raise the budget slightly. On the other hand, this will allow you to be better accompanied in the choice of a saddle really adapted to your needs and limits the risk of scam. Indeed, be careful – when buying a used saddle from a private person, you have to take into account the general condition of the saddle, especially the padding, in order to know if there is a need to “renovate” it. The objective is not to double your purchase budget if the saddle needs to be refurbished.
The industrial saddle
A slightly higher budget will give you access to new saddles, made of leather and of excellent quality. These saddles, called “industrial”, can be found in specialized stores for a minimum budget of about 800€. Buying them in a store does not prevent you from negotiating a trial because it is difficult to consider buying a saddle without a trial. Without it, you cannot be sure that the saddle is adapted to your needs, your way of riding and, more importantly, to your horse.
The craftsman saddles
Next, you enter the range of craftsman saddles or saddles from great saddlers. A craftsman saddle is expensive, but the price is very often justified by the time spent on the saddle, the cost of the quality materials needed to make it and the manual skill. The price of a craftsman saddle is free of marketing costs, and you will benefit from the traditional knowledge of the saddle.
The branded saddle of a recognized saddler offers, when you go up to the top of the range, a real technicality of the materials and the finished product as well as a real work in its conception. Although manufactured, these saddles are still handmade. However, saddlery brands have their own research and development, marketing, communication and sales departments, and these costs, although indirectly related to your saddle, are reflected in the last price.
Whether it is a saddle from a craftsman or a big saddler, you will have a real accompaniment in the choice of the saddle and in the adaptation to you and your horse. They will also offer you custom-made saddles, which will fit your horse perfectly. The custom-made saddle is used for horses with a particular back or physique, and which do not find comfort with a “classic” saddle on their back.
Choosing the size of your future riding saddle
Once you know what type of saddle to choose and you have set a budget, it is crucial not to make a mistake about the size of your saddle.
For younger, slim riders, turn to a 15-inch stinger or saddle, which is 14 in clothing size. The 16″ is equivalent to 16 years old or a 32. A 16″30 saddle will be more suitable for a teenage or shorter rider (under 5’10”), which is going to correspond to a 34, or a small 36. Between the 17″ and the 17″5 we are on a person of less than 1m75 of a corpulence which goes from 36 to 42. For taller riders or those with a heavier build will correspond more to an 18″ or 18″5 saddle. Obviously, this is all theoretical and you can only be sure with the test ride of the saddle.
If the seat size is right for you, you still need to check the size of the quarters. Your legs should not protrude from the flaps (especially in front of the obstacle position) and most of the time, standard size flaps are suitable. However, people who are tall or too short will need to have the flap size adjusted to feel comfortable in the saddle. If this is your case, don’t hesitate to contact your saddler to see what is possible.
A saddle adapted to the rider but also to the horse
The ideal saddle should not only suit you, but also your horse. Indeed, the size of the saddle tree will depend on the size of your horse’s withers, shoulders and back. It is therefore difficult to buy a saddle without considering the morphology of your horse. The more prominent and slenderer your horse’s withers are, the tighter the saddle tree you will need. Conversely, a horse with a very flat back and almost invisible withers will need a wider tree. The goal is to keep the withers free, as well as the shoulders, which should not be compressed. The saddle should be balanced on your horse’s back and should leave the spine free, without ever pressing on the lumbar region. A saddle that touches your companion’s lumbar region is a saddle that is too long. If the saddle doesn’t fit but you really want it to, ask your saddler about the possibility of having the saddle adapted.
Taking the horse’s physique into account when buying a saddle is easy when you are an owner, less so when you are a club rider. If standard saddle sizes are suitable for most of the horses you will ride, avoid putting your saddle on horses with more atypical morphologies and do not hesitate to ask your instructor for advice before leaving the saddle on the animal’s back during the lesson.
Other questions to ask yourself before buying a saddle
In any case, buying a saddle is not to be taken lightly and you should not forget these important steps to choose the right one: which disciplines should my saddle meet? What is my budget? What size do I need?
When you finally start looking for the saddle of your dreams, be careful and don’t forget to try each saddle to be sure that it suits you. Remember that every rider has their own type of saddle and that your friends’ ideal saddle may not be yours.
